Come learn from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene about
*Lead poisoning and sources of lead
*How to control pests safely and
*How to prevent and get rid of bedbugs
All are welcome. For more information, please call 646-632-6023.

Balsoma is a rhythmic approach to self-exploration through movement and music. It also focuses on body-mind connections as a way of tapping into our internal strength. Please wear shoes and clothing that are comfortable for low-impact physical activity and feel free to bring water.

Additional Program Dates/Locations

This is a recurring program. If registration is required, you must register individually.

Do you have a baby carrier you've been meaning to use, but feel overwhelmed every time you try? Are you familiar with babywearing safety? Babywearing International of NYC's team of volunteer babywearing educators are here to help! Explore our baby carrier lending and teaching library, or bring your own carrier from home, to get hands-on support.

All caregivers are welcome. Meetings are baby, toddler, and older child-friendly.

Additional Program Dates/Locations

This is a recurring program. If registration is required, you must register individually.

Are you ready to become a U.S. citizen? Sessions are in English and include a workshop and basic civics education. 4/7- Are you ready to be a U.S. citizen?/Introduction to American history; 4/14 - Required documents and more/Introduction to American government and politics; 4/21- Common barriers to naturalization/American culture and geography; 4/28- Naturalization interview and beyond/Review of 100 questions.

Additional Program Dates/Locations

This is a recurring program. If registration is required, you must register individually.

Filmmaker Hank Linhart has created a documentary tribute to a remote corner of Queens near Greenpoint, which was formerly known by the remarkable name Blissville. The film explores the character of the town, a residential/industrial neighborhood with a rich mix of ethnicities and many new immigrants. The image of a peaceful town, as the name conjures, gives way to a dynamic and resilient area increasingly threatened by development and gentrification. A Q & A will follow the screening.

History

Woodside is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Queens. Although it was inhabited by European settlers in the early years, it did not grow substantially until the 1800s because it was a dangerous and isolated area of snake-infested swamps and wolf-inhabited woods. In the1860’s, the first developers, Benjamin W. Hitchcock and John Andrew Kelly, moved in and the Community of Woodside was formed. Kelly built a home that he called “Woodside” after the nearby forests. The name also became popular from a series of newspaper articles he wrote from his home. In 1869, more than one thousand lots were laid out by Benjamin Hitchcock, generating the first massive building of the new village Woodside.

The completion of the Queensboro Bridge and subway tracks allowed more people to migrate into Woodside and the population reached 6000 by 1910. Eventually the city of New York and other developers began building in the area to accommodate the influx of people. Woodside has since grown as a mixed residential, commercial, and manufacturing suburb for working class people.

Public library service didn’t arrive in Woodside until 1908 when the Woodside Improvement Association succeeded in converting Mr. H. Wikters’ General Store into a public library, known as a “traveling library station”. On June 19, 1910, the city-funded branch library opened to the public with Anna Burns as librarian. The library was housed on the first floor of a two-story frame building on the southwest corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 58th Street. During World War I, the library served as a community activity center. The branch later temporarily relocated to a newly built store at 59-12 Woodside Avenue until 1932 when it moved to its permanent location on the southwest corner of 55th Street and Skillman Avenue. In 1963, after the building underwent extensive renovation and rehabilitation, it reopened to the public with a new entrance on Skillman Avenue. The branch building was again updated in 1999, improving access to the building for those with disabilities. The Woodside Community Library primarily serves the area bounded by Northern Boulevard to the north, Maurice Ave to the south, 50th St. to the east, and Brooklyn–Queens Expressway to the west. Among the residents of Woodside, most are immigrants. Chinese immigrants are the largest group. Ecuadorians are the second largest group. Koreans, Colombians, Bangladesh, Filipinos, Asian Indians, Guyanese, Peruvians and Irish are also well represented in Woodside.

More information about the Woodside community is available from the following sources:

Woodside at a glance:www.maxhome.netfirms.com/

Woodside: a tour through the past, present, and culture of a historic urban community:http://users.bestweb.net/~brouwer/

Catherine Gregory: Woodside, Queens County, New York : a historical perspective, 1652-1994.

Special Services

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately one of two American men and one of three American women will have some type of cancer at some point during their lifetime. Queens Library HealthLink seeks to increase access to cancer screening and cancer treatment among medically underserved communities in Queens. Queens Library HealthLink is a partnership between Queens Library, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Queens Cancer Center of Queens Hospital and the American Cancer Society.